Harlem march honors Malcolm X

“Black Lives Matter” movement activists marched and rallied Feb. 1 in Harlem, N.Y., to usher in Black Liberation Month by honoring the memory of Malcolm X. Their goal is to launch a campaign to create a day that notes Malcolm’s important role in the Civil Rights/Black Liberation movements.

A rally near the statue of Adam Clayton Powell outside the State Office Building on 125th Street was followed by a march two miles up Broadway to the Audubon Ballroom on 165th Street, where Malcolm X was assassinated on Feb. 21, 1965, a half-century ago.

The protest also took up current struggles against police brutality. Demonstrators chanted, “Push back! Now push harder! We’re doing this for Eric Garner!” “Hands up, no turning down! We’re doing this for Michael Brown!” and “Indict, convict, send those killer cops to jail! The whole damn system is guilty as hell!”

Nicholas Heyward, father of Nicholas Heyward Jr., spoke at the rally. The younger Heyward — he was only 13 years old — was gunned down by a New York City police officer. Heyward and others called for the removal of Police Commissioner William Bratton from his post.